Crews Gain Ground On Shepard Mountain Fire Weather Allows Firefighters To Make Progress On Montana Blaze
Montana fire bosses woke Saturday morning cautiously optimistic that they might finally have a crack at subduing the 18,500-acre Shepard Mountain fire. By day’s end, they declared progress.
“The weather gave us the break that we needed to get in there and make some good headway,” said fire information office Bill Pidanick. “Today, based on where we were, was a turning point in corralling this thing.”
Where they were only three days ago was scrambling in retreat in the face of a wall of flame that sprinted six miles down a Custer National Forest canyon in just a few hours.
The fire demolished 32 summer homes around East Rosebud Lake, stranded 55 firefighters overnight in the forest, and caused the evacuation of more than a hundred residents living in the path of the blaze.
Hundreds of reinforcements, including 24 “hotshot” crews, have arrived at the base camp since the fire exploded Wednesday. The fresh crews, along with favorable weather and more airborne support finally put fire managers on the offensive.
“The crews have made real good headway today, and put in an awful lot of good line on the northeast side of the fire,” said Pidanick. He said growth of the fire was limited to a wilderness area on the southwest perimeter.
Forecasters had predicted 20 to 30 mph winds for Saturday, a condition that might have stimulated dangerous growth.
“There’s still an awful lot of hot material out there on the fire’s edges,” Pidanick said.
But calm winds allowed furious work by firefighters and pilots. Helicopter and air tanker pilots alternated drops of water and retardant to knock down hotspots.
While the crews worked the lines, residents of the tiny village of Roscoe were allowed to return to their homes Saturday morning. They, along with neighbors in nearby Luther, were evacuated earlier in the week.
Owners of the 32 homes leveled by the fire also got a chance to return Saturday.
Fire managers drove them by bus through the area. They were not allowed to stay or even leave the bus. They could only summon memories to complete the empty picture they saw through passenger windows.
“It was very well received,” said Pidanick of the tour. “But it’s always a tough situation.” Fire officials have not yet decided when the property owners may return to the area permanently.
Gov. Marc Racicot, who toured the area by plane Friday, said the blaze had caused an estimated $2 million in property damage and burned $800,000 worth of timber.